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Author Topic: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars  (Read 9971 times)

Offline firemodel55

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The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« on: June 21, 2018, 05:58:24 PM »
I previously asserted serious figures (for the longest time)  for what I thought were magical guitars in a given batch of certain guitar brands:  Giving Fender 5%, Gibson 1%, PRS less than 1%, Suhr at 10%, Ibanez probably at less than .000000000000000000000000000000000001%.

But recently I found this article in Guitar player.   I lifted this article from a guitar player article dated May 31, 2018:

"When Smith sat down to talk to avowed Strat Cat Mayer, they discussed what, in their minds, was a conundrum: You can play 100 Strats and only two are magical. So Smith set about looking at every last detail that goes into a transcendent guitar, and he made sure he got those details right."

What this basically means is most likely you have a dud of a guitar...  LOL.  If you are not rejecting electric solid body guitars at close to a 90-95%, you probably do. 

So what's my point here:  Stop buying guitars if you don't know what a magical 2% sounds.  You don't need to engage in further GAS.  You got along fine with what you have so can you get along FINE with what you NOW have further in the future. 

OR You can buy a PRS John Mayer ... BWA HAH HAH

Offline Bolt Thrower

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2018, 12:13:34 AM »

What this basically means is most likely you have a dud of a guitar...  LOL.  If you are not rejecting electric solid body guitars at close to a 90-95%, you probably do. 


For sure the other 98% of guitars that are not part of the 2% magical group are not all duds. "Magical" is already a unicorn superlative. The ones below the magical line have different grades like, excellent, great sounding, decent, average, then the bad ones.

And for some people, Great to decent is enough. They just need workhorse guitars that can take the beating and still sound good night after night. You don't need to always aim for the "magical".

Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2018, 04:50:39 AM »
For sure the other 98% of guitars that are not part of the 2% magical group are not all duds. "Magical" is already a unicorn superlative. The ones below the magical line have different grades like, excellent, great sounding, decent, average, then the bad ones.

And for some people, Great to decent is enough. They just need workhorse guitars that can take the beating and still sound good night after night. You don't need to always aim for the "magical".

And here is the kicker, for the same amount of money you spend on a certain guitar; why can't the manufacturer instead produce 98% magical guitars and 2% duds of that same model that you are buying? 

Thats funny because last I checked; I had about 40 unicorns in the house.  Because a great majority, rate their guitar GREAT today but provide a RFS for tomorrow.

I think my message is simple, get a great sounding "magical" workhorse not to make it easier to take a beating but to make night after night magical for you.

Offline Ben Tsing Co

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2018, 10:01:18 AM »
 I want a unicorn  :cute:
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Offline shoegaze geezer

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2018, 01:46:10 PM »
do you have a solid data about that 2%? or that is just your own assumption?
"I look at yours, you laugh at mine. And love is just a miserable lie"


Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2018, 01:48:02 PM »
do you have a solid data about that 2%? or that is just your own assumption?

My personal experience...  and apparently John Mayer's and Paul Reed Smith's too.

Offline shoegaze geezer

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2018, 01:48:48 PM »
My personal experience...  and apparently John Mayer's and Paul Reed Smith's too.

are you trying to be funny?
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Offline analog.matt

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2018, 03:34:10 PM »
are you trying to be funny?


i dont think its funny when its on record.

For sure the other 98% of guitars that are not part of the 2% magical group are not all duds. "Magical" is already a unicorn superlative. The ones below the magical line have different grades like, excellent, great sounding, decent, average, then the bad ones.

And for some people, Great to decent is enough. They just need workhorse guitars that can take the beating and still sound good night after night. You don't need to always aim for the "magical".

imagine having a singer who can just copy many famous voices, and even churn out himself wonderful original songs himself.

think of a guitar that's like a better version of arnel pineda.

and you can sound great ( and do many sounds ) with just a good amp and a few sets of pedals. ganun ang magandang gitara.

yung ibang akala ng tao nasa amp nang gagaling, or sa effects nang gagaling, nasa gitara pala...

mas valid ang mga ganitong info if old old players sa pinas can share their years with their old guitars, but karamihan ng old players and collectors sa pinas do not like technology.  they have their own world. so you dont see them online.


Offline analog.matt

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2018, 03:45:17 PM »
Eto yung video ni John Mayer where he said the magic thing. both He and PRS agree.

feature=share

Offline guitaricci

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2018, 05:01:32 PM »
I think yung Ibanez Destroyer ni EVH from the 1st Van Halen Album ay kasama dun sa magical less than 0.01% of Ibanez. Hehe
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Offline shoegaze geezer

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2018, 07:50:37 PM »
i dont think its funny when its on record.

imagine having a singer who can just copy many famous voices, and even churn out himself wonderful original songs himself.

think of a guitar that's like a better version of arnel pineda.

and you can sound great ( and do many sounds ) with just a good amp and a few sets of pedals. ganun ang magandang gitara.

yung ibang akala ng tao nasa amp nang gagaling, or sa effects nang gagaling, nasa gitara pala...

mas valid ang mga ganitong info if old old players sa pinas can share their years with their old guitars, but karamihan ng old players and collectors sa pinas do not like technology.  they have their own world. so you dont see them online.

record? you mean j. mayer and prs' opinion which clearly is a marketing strategy. well, that's brilliant. and i do not hear any mention of the data or formula that the 2% is derived from.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2018, 07:54:26 PM by shoegaze geezer »
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Offline analog.matt

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2018, 09:11:35 PM »
reminds me of my old neighbors.

everyone saw the robber climb up the tree and jump into the window....

and went out with their TV set...

house owner arrived....

the police arrived...

people told the house owner and the police that the robber entered the house via the tree...

house owner asked for DATA....

saan daw statistics na ginagamit ng magnanakaw ang puno para makapasok sa bahay

lol

iba talaga sa pinas...


Offline shoegaze geezer

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2018, 09:16:44 PM »
reminds me of my old neighbors.

everyone saw the robber climb up the tree and jump into the window....

and went out with their TV set...

house owner arrived....

the police arrived...

people told the house owner and the police that the robber entered the house via the tree...

house owner asked for DATA....

saan daw statistics na ginagamit ng magnanakaw ang puno para makapasok sa bahay

lol

iba talaga sa pinas...

nice try, but wrong analogy. lol
"I look at yours, you laugh at mine. And love is just a miserable lie"

Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2018, 06:57:00 AM »
are you trying to be funny?

Nope serious as hell.

Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #14 on: June 24, 2018, 07:17:13 AM »
record? you mean j. mayer and prs' opinion which clearly is a marketing strategy. well, that's brilliant. and i do not hear any mention of the data or formula that the 2% is derived from.

Thats not marketing...I was talking to PRS' production manager and was telling him off about how above average the solid body sounds and telling him that I lament that there was rarely a magical guitar.  I was pointing out that I found this pre-1993 killer sounding Custom 24.  I thought he did not understand.  He told me that he does and he has been with the current factory since it opened.

According to him, solid body production is so down pat because of Paul's tweaks to the manufacturing process.  They can guarantee about 95% of all guitars to be above average sounding guitars and a few duds.  But they would not sacrifice 99 production guitars to be below average to produce just one killer sounding guitar.

As a sign that he understood, he compared it to where PRS acoustic production is.  Since its relatively new for PRS to produce acoustic guitars, everytime they just rolled off the line a beautiful /exceptionally magical PRS acoustic, Paul would have the line stopped and have everybody come over to examine that specific guitar.

By the way, I have no marketing strategy because my GUITARS are NOT FOR SALE.  The last time I had a fire sale was back in the mid 1990s.  Though on occasion, I have been tempted -- offered to be purchased -- by friends; I promptly bought back my guitars.  Out of my 40 USA MADE GUITARS, I only have one PRS.

I have about 5 Jacksons, 6 Gibsons, 3 Bakers, 4 Music Men, 6 Fenders, 1 BC Rich, 3 Suhrs, 1 Asher, 1 Mike Lull,  1 Washburn N4, 1 EVH, 1 McGuire,  etc.  All Made in the USA.  Basically, I have no favorites to promote.

What I do have to promote in contrast to so called advertising by guitar manufacturers IS that they produce more bad sounding guitars than good sounding ones.  So as guitar buyers, be aware AND try at least 50-100 of the same guitar model.  For example, my Ernie Ball JP15 which I bought last year in Tokyo, was so much of an effort to choose.
I actually had to go around at least 10 guitar shops in Tokyo and try out around 30 Ernie Ball John Petrucci guitars ALL MADE IN THE USA to pick the best one.  Buti na lang mayaman ang Tokyo dahil kaya nila magparating nga maraming inventory ng bawat modelo ng gitara.

Pati Washburn N4, pinagpilian ko ay anim in the same store!!! 2 standard, 2 vintage at 2 authentic na lahat alder.  Tapos may dalawang pang ash body na N4.  So thats a total of 8 guitars in one session.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2018, 07:26:05 AM by firemodel55 »

Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #15 on: June 24, 2018, 07:28:43 AM »
I think yung Ibanez Destroyer ni EVH from the 1st Van Halen Album ay kasama dun sa magical less than 0.01% of Ibanez. Hehe

Not anymore after he tore out a chunk from it....

Offline qwi

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #16 on: June 28, 2018, 09:51:03 AM »
per my understanding, shoegaze is referring to the commercial interest of Mayer/PRS to sell their guitars not yours firemodel.
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Offline nicoyow

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #17 on: June 28, 2018, 09:06:35 PM »
Does it matter if the guitar you're using for numerous gigs isn't magical? I mean, why it has to be? Will it make you a better person if you own a Baker? Will it give you the wisdom to write epic songs like Queen or Beatles? I'm not taking sides nor defending myself because I don't have Overpriced boutique guitars like some of the guys here in PM. I really don't mind.

 :mrgreen:

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Offline pallas

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #18 on: June 28, 2018, 11:00:31 PM »
Does it matter if the guitar you're using for numerous gigs isn't magical? I mean, why it has to be? Will it make you a better person if you own a Baker? Will it give you the wisdom to write epic songs like Queen or Beatles? I'm not taking sides nor defending myself because I don't have Overpriced boutique guitars like some of the guys here in PM. I really don't mind.

 :mrgreen:

I dig.

All those songs written on run of the mill parlor guitars, pawn shop blackie assembled strats, RL Burnside voodoo grease tones. John Lee, Mance, Robert Johnson, Neil Young’s ol Black is EPIC feedback Dead Man style.
I could go on.  I love them all.
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Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #19 on: June 29, 2018, 06:13:51 AM »
Does it matter if the guitar you're using for numerous gigs isn't magical? I mean, why it has to be? Will it make you a better person if you own a Baker? Will it give you the wisdom to write epic songs like Queen or Beatles? I'm not taking sides nor defending myself because I don't have Overpriced boutique guitars like some of the guys here in PM. I really don't mind.

 :mrgreen:

Ang isyu ay mga patay na gitara ng binibili natin at kung bakit hindi maka step up ang gumagawa. Kung songwriting alam naman natin na pwede ka gumamit ng keyboard para gumawa ng magandang kanta. So again, do not deviate from the topic. 

And to answer the question:  Yes because gigs will be easier and it will sound better.  Since mas expressive ang instrument, mas madali lumabas ang pagka musikero mo.  It has to be because thats the excitement in buying a solid body electric guitar.  Take note its less exciting to buy drums or keyboards.

Not all boutique guitars are overpriced but I can tell you that there are more dead and bad sounding non-boutique guitars than there are boutique guitars floating around for your purchase.

Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #20 on: June 29, 2018, 06:15:46 AM »
I dig.

All those songs written on run of the mill parlor guitars, pawn shop blackie assembled strats, RL Burnside voodoo grease tones. John Lee, Mance, Robert Johnson, Neil Young’s ol Black is EPIC feedback Dead Man style.
I could go on.  I love them all.

Mukhang mas maraming kanta ata ang ginawa sa magandang tunog na Gibson Les Paul Standard na gawa noong 1957-1960.  Just saying... Only a Gibson was Good Enough.

Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #21 on: June 29, 2018, 06:36:23 AM »
per my understanding, shoegaze is referring to the commercial interest of Mayer/PRS to sell their guitars not yours firemodel.

Even then LAHAT ba ng marketing strategy at commercial interest ay ang basehan kasinungalingan?  At paano niyo alam na hindi totoo ang 2% na sinasabi nila? 
Naka subok ka na ba ng isang daan na USA made na Strat sa buong buhay mo to say na hindi totoo ang 2%?  Ako nakasubok na at mas generous pa ako sa 5% na grado ko sa Fender.  But I admit that if I reach a 300 sample, baka mag-iba ang grado ko.

Ako, masasabi ko na sa inyo ngayon na I don't think 100% ng silver sky ay magiging maganda but I am HOPING its better than 2% because they realized it and made in public.  This holds them to a higher standard now.  So, if they don't better; mapaphiya sila.


Offline firemodel55

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #22 on: June 29, 2018, 06:39:03 AM »
nice try, but wrong analogy. lol

I think Matt's point is that its as simple as listening and trying more than 100 made in the USA Fenders.  Walang formula na kailangan --- kasi naghahanap ka ng forumla.

Maski na ba may data silang ipakita sa table, hindi ka naman rin maniniwala dahil hindi ka pa naka subok ng higit sa isang daan na USA made Fender Stratocaster.  I really don't expect you to do that though if you have the time and money; its a worthwhile experience.

So, at this point, you just have to take it from the experts or from those who are more 'exposed'.  I am NOT saying that you should buy a Silver sky. 

What I am SAYING is that dapat maging mas mainggat kayo bumili ng electric guitars kasi 98% ng makikita niyo ay panget ang tunog.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2018, 06:43:46 AM by firemodel55 »

Offline shoegaze geezer

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #23 on: June 29, 2018, 10:32:39 AM »
senyor firemodel, you talked about specific percentage, and in this case a whole 2%. when people read this, of course, we want to know where you get this data. we want to know where you acquired an accurate statistical data from this 2%. you said you talked with folks from prs. ok, that is good, but what about folks from gibson? fender? and other manufacturers? etc...etc...

just because you have "magical" guitars in your stablel, you assume that 2%. have you tried all the guitars manufactured in the world by all manufacturers for the last 30 years? have you done that to back up your 2% claim. that is my question. yes, i do believe there are "magical" guitars. some are so magical that rabbits pop out of a hat or the statue of liberty will disappear every time you play that guitar. you claim to own some magical guitars , well that's good. keep telling yourself that. but to tell you frankly, a huge percentage (just the word huge, not a specific number coz i do not have the statistical data to back it up) of people in this forum d-o-e-s n-o-t c-a-re.

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Offline shoegaze geezer

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Re: The Magical 2% of Electric Solid Body Guitars
« Reply #24 on: June 29, 2018, 10:34:52 AM »
I think Matt's point is that its as simple as listening and trying more than 100 made in the USA Fenders.  Walang formula na kailangan --- kasi naghahanap ka ng forumla.

Maski na ba may data silang ipakita sa table, hindi ka naman rin maniniwala dahil hindi ka pa naka subok ng higit sa isang daan na USA made Fender Stratocaster.  I really don't expect you to do that though if you have the time and money; its a worthwhile experience.

So, at this point, you just have to take it from the experts or from those who are more 'exposed'.  I am NOT saying that you should buy a Silver sky. 

What I am SAYING is that dapat maging mas mainggat kayo bumili ng electric guitars kasi 98% ng makikita niyo ay panget ang tunog.

his analogy missed the mark by a mile.
"I look at yours, you laugh at mine. And love is just a miserable lie"